


White Rose Week 2020

by lyddieowl



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Light-Hearted, Marriage, Romance, Slice of Life, White Rose Week (RWBY), White Rose Week 2020 (RWBY)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:00:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24662701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lyddieowl/pseuds/lyddieowl
Summary: In the future, girlfriends Weiss and Ruby are about to have an eventful few weeks.Using the picture prompt list for each chapter.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 18
Kudos: 129





	1. A blue eye with tears.

Ruby Rose swung her scythe, Crescent Rose, effortlessly around her, although right now there were no targets to hit. Though Remnant was still threatened by Grimm attacks, the huntress had been spending more time at home. As much as time spent away from fighting made her feel an intense apprehension, she knew the world was in a much better place than it had been years ago.  
Nothing world shattering had happened since the days of Salem, and although she knew the world truly was a lot safer, there was always a thought in the back of her mind. Uncertainty that she and her friends had done enough, but being reassured by many that they had.  
Ruby allowed the weapon to retract, and sat down in the middle of the garden. She sighed, letting her silver eyes trail upwards, noticing that as the sun was setting, the shattered moon had started to become visible. The evening breeze brushed through her hair softly.  
She let her eyes close, leaning back into a stretch before resting her elbows against the grass. The sound of the leaves swaying around her and the gently chings of one of her DIY wind chimes filled her head. The calm was broken by the sound of footsteps, but not a lot.  
Ruby opened her eyes to see her girlfriend, Weiss Schnee, and a goofy smile spread across her face.

"Hey! When'd you get home?"

Weiss held one of Ruby's hoodies out towards her, "About a minute ago, the meeting overran a little."

The young woman sat down next to her and snuggled close, Ruby instinctively putting an arm around her, "How'd that go?"

"It was pretty boring, honestly. Whitley seems to be doing a good job, though."

"How come you were invited again?" Ruby leant her head against the smaller woman's gently.

"Well, I'm still considered pretty influential in the Schnee family, y'know? And my brother does so like to gloat."

The pair became quiet, just enjoying being in each other's presence again after hours apart. Sure, hours were nothing compared to the time they were separated for after Beacon, but these days minutes felt like a lifetime. The guarantee of seeing each other every day now, it made the moments apart worth it.  
Ruby felt Weiss shivering next to her, and gave her a little squeeze.

"Hey, why don't we go inside?"

Weiss shot up, "I've been desperate for you to say those words, I don't know how you deal with the cold."

"You'd think I was the ice queen in this relationship." Ruby smirked, blue eyes glaring at her.

"Quit it or we aren't ordering take out."

Ruby darted up herself, "BUT IT'S NOODLE DAY! WE CAN'T BREAK TRADITION."

The sound of Weiss' laughter filled the house as Ruby ran after her, and dark haired girl could feel the thoughts that had been nibbling at her brain subside. She opened up her scroll as Weiss went to get changed, that being made apparent by the sudden stop in the click-clack of her heels.  
Ruby ordered her own first, and was about to shout over her shoulder when she felt arms wrapping gently around her shoulders. Weiss rested her chin atop Ruby's head for a second, before moving to sit next to her. Ruby noticed her girlfriend was wearing one of her sweaters, smiling a little as she held her scroll towards her.  
The shorter woman took it and quietly picked out what she wanted, before slipping it back into her hand.

"Anything interesting happen with you today, Oh Great Silver-Eyed Warrior." 

"Well, I'm pretty sure I taught the flies in the garden a lesson. Very serious stuff, y'know?"

"My hero, as always." Blue eyes flashed with amusement, and Ruby rolled her eyes at the sarcasm.

"OH! This came in the mail today! I didn't wanna open it without you!"

Ruby grabbed an unopened envelope from the arm of the sofa, quickly enough to cause a tiny flurry of petals to materialize. Weiss watched as Ruby showed her the letter, and blushed at what was written on it.   
It was definitely Yang's handwriting, and Weiss narrowed her eyes.

"'Ruby and Weiss Rose'? Did she just assume I'd take your name if we-"

Ruby cut in, surprising her, "Why would she send a LETTER? She only sends letters when there's something serious going on!"

Something flashed across Weiss' face, but Ruby couldn't tell what it was, "...You don't know what it's about?"

Ruby thought for a minute, and shrugged. Weiss took the letter from her, opening it as neatly as possible. Ruby leant into her, and they read the contents together. Realisation hit like a ton of bricks, she looked at her girlfriend in awe. Weiss didn't share in Ruby's surprise, but she still had a smile on her face.  
Weiss let go of the little card so Ruby could look at it properly.

"How'd I forget about that?"

"I can't believe they're actually doing it, it's pretty amazing."

The wedding invite was written in what was clearly Blake's handwriting, Ruby reading the date and realising how soon it was. It didn't seem like long ago that Blake had proposed, and Yang had called her in the middle of the night crying about it. Yang had practically begged Weiss to give them planning tips, and Weiss had 'reluctantly' been helping ever since.  
Ruby set down the invite and sat back, lazily draping her arm across the back of the couch. She still needed to go to her dress fitting, and they still needed to buy their wedding gift. Weiss had reminded her of both several times, of course. She glanced at Weiss, who had a weird look on her face.  
Silver eyes tried to meet blue, but the shorter girl insisted on not looking away from the TV, which she'd switched a second before. Ruby frowned, knowing something was up.

"Hey, what's the matter, princess?"

"Nothing." Weiss tone wasn't particularly cold.

"Are you sure? You went all quiet out of nowhere." Ruby's brow furrowed, and her eyes widened.

A knock came at the door, and Weiss stood up quickly, "It's fine."

Weiss gave her a little smile as she went to get the food, and Ruby knew it wasn't fine at all. They'd known each other long enough by now to be able to tell when the other was lying, but why the sudden shift in mood? Was it something she said? Did she even say anything?  
Weiss placed the food down on the counter, and Ruby stood up. She leant against the counter as Weiss opened the boxes to see which noodle box was which, handing Ruby the little wooden chopsticks that had come with the meal.   
Ruby took hold of her hand as she was about to pull away, and the ex-heiress looked at her. A soft smile crept onto her face, and she leant across the counter to plant a kiss on Ruby's forehead.

"It's fine. I promise."

They sat cross-legged on the couch, and Weiss had seemed to perk up again. The pair chatted while the TV played quietly in the background, and the conversation carried long after they'd finished their noodles. They talked about everything and nothing at all, mostly about gossip from the meeting Weiss had been to, a little about what Ruby had or hadn't done.  
The talking died down, eventually ending up cuddling with an old movie playing in the background. Ruby could feel herself drifting, and she noticed her girlfriend's breathing had slowed to something more rhythmic.   
Sighing, she brushed her hand through the soft, white hair atop her girlfriend's head.

"Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey~" She cooed softly.

Weiss opened her eyes slowly, and she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, "...Sorry, Ruby. Today's been pretty tiring."

Ruby touched her nose against Weiss' forehead gently, before cupping her face gently, "D'you fancy an early night? Extra cuddles?"

Weiss moved Ruby's hands gently, and nodded, "Okay. Sounds good."

Something was still off. Weiss normally jumped at the chance to cling onto Ruby, this was not the enthusiasm she'd grown accustomed to. The shorter girl got up, grabbing the noodle boxes and taking them to the trash before heading upstairs without saying anything else. Ruby got up too, locking up as quickly as she could.  
Weiss always told her off for Petal Blasting upstairs, but she felt it was necessary this time. She wanted to find out what was wrong with her girlfriend before they slept. She hated leaving things til the next morning.  
Silver eyes searched the bathroom briefly before settling in the bedroom, seeing the figure of her girlfriend sitting on the bed. As the flurry of red petals dispelled around her, she noticed something that made her heart flutter.  
Weiss Schnee was crying.

"Whoa whoa, what's going on?" Another Petal Blast later, Ruby was knelt down in front of her.

"W-What'd I say about doing that upstairs?" Weiss said, sounding a little amused more than anything.

"I'll clean up any lingering petals tomor-" Ruby stopped herself, "Don't distract me!"

Weiss wiped at her eyes a little, "I'm just being stupid, I'm sorry."

Ruby frowned, brushing her hand against Weiss' cheek softly, "Well I for one think you're pretty smart actually."

The ex-heiress pouted, giving her a little shove, "That's not what I meant, you dolt."

Ruby took her hands, and tilted her head, "Weiss, what's wrong?"

Weiss didn't try to move her hands away, a sad little smile on her face, "Did you mean to cut me off earlier?"

Ruby felt the cogs spinning in her brain, and eventually found what she was looking for, "When we opened the wedding invitation?"

Weiss freed one of her hands, and ran her fingers through Ruby's hair, "Yeah."

Silver eyes met blue after wandering for a minute, "I'm sorry, I was just excited, I didn't realise."

The relief on Weiss' face surprised Ruby, and the tears seemed to subside a bit. Ruby moved to sit on the edge of the bed next to her, the smaller girl laying her head against her shoulder. The dark haired girl leant her head against hers.   
She was happy that her girlfriend wasn't mad, but was now even more confused.

"I… I didn't mean to upset you."

Weiss took Ruby's arm, holding onto it, "Don't worry."

Ruby closed her eyes, enjoying her warmth, "What were you gonna say? I'm listening now, I promise."

There was a little silence. Weiss moved her head, turning a little to look at Ruby. She took her hands, and her cheeks started to go a little red. Ruby wanted to tease her for it, but stayed quiet, tilting her head.

"I was eluding to the fact Yang assumed, or rather teased, that I'd take the name Rose."

Ruby narrowed her eyes in confusion, "Eh?"

"The envelope, Ruby. She wrote 'Ruby and Weiss Rose'. You did see that, didn't you?"

"Oh… OH!" Ruby felt her own cheeks going red, "Y-You thought I…"

Weiss laughed a little, "I thought you were avoiding the subject, yeah. I shouldn't have let it upset me so much."

Ruby laughed a little too, but her expression changed into something that resembled sadness, "It made you that sad?"

Weiss rolled her eyes, "As I said, it was sil-"

"Weiss, I don't know what name we'll take if… when we get married," Ruby's face was a deep shade of red now, "But you do know I wouldn't dismiss the idea if we ever talked about it properly, right?"

The two sat staring at each other. Ruby didn't think she could move, she'd forgotten how to speak entirely it seemed. She couldn't tell what Weiss was thinking for sure, but she definitely had a shocked expression on her face. The taller girl couldn't stop her mouth from falling open.  
Had Ruby thought about the future before? Absolutely! But she'd never spoken it into existence like that. Neither had the girl sitting across from her. Maybe Weiss had been thinking about it more than Ruby had thought. Well, of course weddings were on the her mind, she was helping to plan one.  
I'm such a dolt. The voice in her head didn't make that line sound nearly as appealing, but she felt it was true anyway.

"Ruby."

I can't believe I upset her when she was trying to say something nice.

"Ruby Rose~." Her train of thought was interrupted, and she focussed back onto Weiss' face again.

Weiss leant up, placing a kiss on Ruby's lips before sitting back, "I hope it's a topic we can discuss in great detail when the time comes."

A goofy smile spread across Ruby's face, and she gently took hold of Weiss' waist, pulling her in for another kiss. Weiss' hands drifted through Ruby's hair, settling on her shoulders. The pair broke apart quickly, and Ruby wrapped her arms around the smaller woman tightly.  
They slowly formed a gap between each other again, pressing their foreheads together.

"Ruby?"

"Yeah?"

"Schnee wouldn't be such a bad name if you had it too, y'know." Weiss seemed fully aware of how cheesy her line was.

"White roses do exist, y'know. I think Rose would work too." Ruby wasn't going to pass up the chance to return the favour.

A giggle escaped Weiss, and she ran her fingers through Ruby's dark hair slowly, "Oh dear, it seems we need to reach a compromise."

"...Schnose?"

"Oh my gods."


	2. Two best friends, holding each other close.

Weiss' eyes fluttered open, and she reached lazily to turn off the alarm that had been blaring. She would have gladly stayed right where she was if she didn't have things to do that day. She rolled over onto her side, seeing that the woman next to her was still snoring away peacefully. It almost seemed criminal to wake her up.  
Weiss brushed a finger up and down Ruby's nose, causing her to stir. She batted at Weiss' hand a little, before realising what it was and stopping. Ruby slowly opened one of her eyes, interlocking fingers with the hand that had just been tormenting her.  
The ex-heiress just stared for a minute, studying the way Ruby's hair had fallen across her face. With her free hand, Weiss slowly brushed her fingers across her girlfriend's forehead, catching a few strands of hair as she did.

"We need to get up, love."

Ruby sleepily stuck out her bottom lip, "Noooooo! What time is it?"

"It's 8am." Weiss said, letting her hand rest along Ruby's jawline.

This caused a groan from the younger of the two, and she purposely snuggled closer, wrapping her arms around the smaller woman firmly. Weiss nearly protested, but stopped herself. She returned the hug, her arms around Ruby's shoulders.  
Weiss enjoyed the warmth her partner provided, and nestled her head in the crook of Ruby's neck. They could get away with staying in bed a little longer, but the smaller girl knew for a fact they'd just be in more of a rush than usual if they didn't move.

"Ruuubyyy." Weiss made sure to make her voice sound extra soft.

"Miss Schnee, we'd like to apologise but Ruby Rose isn't here right now. Please leave a message after the beep."

Weiss stifled a little laugh, pushing away from the younger woman to see her face as she mimicked an answer phone, "You're such a dolt."

Weiss watched as a smile formed on Ruby's lips, "Maybe I am. What are you gonna do about it?"

The ex-heiress rolled her eyes, pinching the girl's cheeks. Ruby frowned, opening her eyes properly now. Weiss had a smirk on her face, she'd gotten her attention properly now. Ruby let go of the girl opposite her and took hold of the hands still holding onto her face.

"I'm not a baby, you can't keep doing this." She tried her best to sound annoyed but failed miserably.

Weiss moved to kiss her nose now that she was free, "I'll do what I please, thank you very much."

Ruby smiled, leaning in to press her lips against Weiss' softly, "... Good Morning."

Once Weiss had sat up, the pair went about their morning routine, if not a little quicker than usual when they had days off together. Breakfast was all together uneventful, and Weiss was now finishing off getting ready, putting on her last earring. She looked at herself in the mirror for a second once she'd secured it.  
Her hair was shoulder length these days, mostly because it was far easier to manage. Totally not because of a certain red sniper scythe having gone rogue one day a few years back. She'd not spoken to Ruby for a week when it happened, but now she kept it short purposely.  
She was busy giving it a quick brush when she saw Ruby walking over in the background. Ruby's hair was longer now, and she had it stuck up in a ponytail that had grown to be a familiar sight.   
The younger woman stopped next to Weiss, looking in the mirror herself.

"Can I do a little side braid again?" Ruby caught Weiss' eyes in the mirror.

Weiss smiled, "Okay, as long as you're quick."

Ruby practically jumped with excitement, and brushed her fingers through a tiny portion of Weiss hair, just beside her left ear. Weiss watched as Ruby stuck her tongue out to concentrate, working as quickly as she could. Once the braid was done, Weiss' ear was fully visible.  
Ruby smiled, noticing the earring.

"Hey! I got you those."

Weiss kissed her cheek before making her way to the bedroom door, "First anniversary, yeah."

Ruby's smile morphed into a grin as she followed Weiss downstairs to the front door, "You big softie, what made you dig those out?"

"You can't beat the classics."

"So not because you love me or anything?" Ruby said, now leaning her elbows on top of the car.

Weiss stuck her tongue out, "Ew gross. What gave you that idea?"

~☆~

Weiss sat tapping her foot periodically, listening to the dress fitter talking to Ruby as she helped her get her dress on. They were both bridesmaids, Ruby rather unsurprisingly being Yang's maid of honor. Despite there being a purple and yellow theme for the wedding, Blake had insisted that people could wear whatever they wanted.  
When they'd initially been shopping with the other bridesmaids, they'd all made a pact to get the same style of dress at least. Weiss had had her fitting long before now, her dress was sitting at home just waiting to be worn. Ruby had been 'busy' avoiding coming to her own fitting.  
Not because she didn't like dresses, she just felt awkward about being dressed like a baby by someone she didn't know.

"Alright, Miss Rose, let's see what you look like in the mirror."

Weiss perked up as she saw the fitter walking out from behind the curtain, followed by Ruby. She was guided to the mirrors, flashing me a smile as she walked past.  
The dress, formerly a little too big in a few places, was now perfectly snug. Weiss instinctively stood up, she couldn't help it. Ruby was looking at herself in the mirror, and stood listening to the fitter who was essentially just being vocally proud of her work.   
The dress itself was a light shade of blue, slightly too blue to look bridal, but enough to be noticable. Off shoulder, knee length, tight around the torso and flowy around the bottom. It was beautiful, she was beautiful, and Weiss couldn't hide how red her face had gotten.   
Honestly, the younger woman didn't have to try very hard to make her blush, but this was ridiculous even for her. Blue eyes caught silver in the mirror, and Ruby shot Weiss such a sincere little smile that her brain practically melted. She still managed to move closer when the dress fitter left to go and get the accessories that they'd agreed on.  
Weiss stood behind Ruby, looking at her for a little bit longer before resting her chin on Ruby's shoulder, wrapping her arms around her waist gently. Ruby smiled, leaning her head against Weiss'.

"Whaddaya think? They did a good job, huh?"

"You look beautiful, Ruby." Weiss watched as Ruby got a little flustered, smiling.

The younger of the two brought her hands up to her chest, messing with them awkwardly, "You think so?"

Weiss smiled proudly, "You always do."

Ruby pouted, looking down, "Man, you're being relentlessly cute today."

Weiss let go of Ruby to walk around her so they could stand face to face. She smiled again, tracing her fingers gently along Ruby's face. Ruby took her hand as it dropped, raising an eyebrow playfully.

"Did I do something to deserve you being so nice to me today or something?"

The shorter girl narrowed her eyes, "Am I not nice and/or cute everyday, Ruby Rose?"

Silver eyes began darting around the room and Ruby searched for something to say while Weiss folded her arms, "Y-YEAH! Of course! Obviously!"

Weiss smiled, "Well for starters, it's a day off together, I get to spend my whole day with you. Plus I get to see you wearing this again. I'm in a 'relentlessly' good mood."

Ruby blushed more, folding her own arms, "Stoooppp."

The older woman laughed, "You even make being annoyed look pretty, how do you do that?"

"Oh my gods, you're so embarrassing!" Ruby covered her face, obviously trying to hide how red she'd gotten.

Weiss giggled, jumping forward to hug her flustered girlfriend. Said girlfriend protested, and the more she complained the more Weiss laughed. It didn't take Ruby long to quieten down, and she ended up pulling the shorter girl closer, holding onto her as tightly as she could without hurting her.  
Head resting neatly on her shoulder, Weiss closed her eyes. She loved moments like this. When it was just the two of them, so close together. Hearts beating so close together, as the pair calmed in each other's arms the rhythm would always seem to sync.  
This was one of those moments, until the dress fitter came hustling back into the room with the hair piece Ruby had picked out. Weiss moved away again as the woman approached, Ruby holding onto her until the very last fingertip left her hand.  
Stepping back, Weiss took one last look at Ruby in the dress. The last time she'd seen Ruby in a dress like this, a formal one, had been all those years ago at Beacon. Weiss grimaced only at the fact that back then she'd been an inch or two taller. That's when a certain memory resurfaced.

"Hello, earth to Schnee?" Ruby's voice snapped her back to the present.

"Uh, what?"

Ruby tilted her head, raising both her eyebrows, "I've been talking to you for at least a minute."

Weiss smiled up at her, feeling a little embarrassed now herself, "O-Oh! Sorry, I was on another planet."

Ruby had changed out of her dress and back into her regular clothes now. Did I space out for that long? Weiss thought as they walked back towards the car, Ruby holding the dress over her arm before carefully laying it across the back seat.

"D'you go anywhere nice?" The dark haired girl asked, clearly teasing her.

Weiss started the car, and she pulled off into the road before speaking, "The dance. Back at Beacon."

Ruby looked over at her, "What, really?"

Weiss smiled, glancing at her before refocusing her attention on the road, "You remember what happened, right?"

Ruby smiled too, leaning back in the passenger seat, "You wouldn't dance with me."

Weiss frowned at the road in front of her, "I recall that we did actually share a dance."

The younger woman was very clearly smirking, "Not in front of everyone."

The older of the two laughed a little, "Ruby Rose, I know you didn't care about that."

Silver eyes fixed onto Weiss, and Ruby's voice was sincere, "You'll dance with me again, won't you? At the wedding?"

Weiss stifled a another laugh, "Oh I assure you, we'll be kicking the brides off of the dance floor before they even get there."

~☆~

Weiss stomped outside, her long hair trailing behind her. An exasperated Ruby Rose followed her, taking hold of her arm. The heiress stopped in her tracks, trying not to get seethingly angry. It had been an innocent request. Friends had been dancing with each other all night, and she'd been sitting watching them all night.  
But this was Ruby. Weiss had no idea how she truly felt about her. Were they friends? More or less. Maybe she was angry because she knew Ruby was just taking pity on her. She needed no one's pity, especially not the bumbling, awkward girl who had hold of her arm now.  
Weiss pulled her arm away, frowning at her partner intensely.

"Weiss, I-I didn't mean to make you angry, I-I swear! I was just-"

"What, Ruby? You were what?" The taller girl stomped her foot, folding her arms.

The dark haired girl looked genuinely hurt by how upset she'd made her, "I didn't come with anyone. You're my best friend. I just… thought it would be nice."

Weiss softened her expression a little, but still kept an angry tone, "This isn't some pity play, is it?"

Ruby tapped her index fingers together, looking down sadly, "N-No. I asked you because I trust you. Y-You know how to dance!"

The words 'I trust you' played in repeat in the light-haired girl's head, and she instantly felt bad for being defensive. She realised Ruby would probably have asked her to dance even if she had a date with her. As much as she tried to push Ruby away, she knew she really was her best friend. Of course the smaller girl would ask her.  
As Weiss rationalised, Ruby turned to walk back into the building. Weiss took hold of her hand as gently as she could before she could get too far away.

"Ruby, wait."

Ruby looked over her shoulder, still looking a little sad, "I really am sorry."

Weiss sighed, "No, Ruby. I'm the one who should be saying sorry. You were being… nice."

The younger girl perked up again, "Aw, it's alright! Dancing sucks anyway. Too many people."

"Dance with me." Weiss smiled a little as Ruby shot her a look of complete and total shock.

"You what?"

"Dance with me, Ruby Rose. Out here if it makes you feel better."

Before Ruby could even splutter, Weiss pulled her back. Her partner was in a state of total shock at first, and she almost pushed away. But when Weiss started moving to what she could hear of what was obviously one of the token slow dances, Ruby tried her best to follow her lead.  
It was clear that Ruby had never danced formally before, but she made the extra effort not to step on Weiss' feet repeatedly. Blue eyes met silver only for a second, before both darted away quickly.   
The proper stance melted away pretty quickly, and Ruby hugged Weiss as they slowly span in circles. The heiress had grimaced at first but eventually, if not awkwardly, hugged her back. A smile formed on her lips, and she leant her head against the shorter girl's head a little.

"You really are such a dolt."


	3. Whispering closely to another's ear.

Ruby trailed along behind Weiss, several bags in each hand. This wasn’t really a difficult task for her, but all the same she was starting to find this boring. They’d been out shopping all afternoon and despite having a clear goal in mind, they still hadn’t managed to fulfill it. She did enjoy seeing Weiss’ face lighting up whenever she found what she was looking for, but the younger woman was starting to get restless.  
The two had initially gone shopping for their wedding gift, but like many shopping trips before this one, the original objective had been lost. If Ruby had been alone, she’d have gone for the gift first, then go for a cheeky browse in some weapon/dust shops. She didn’t complain though, most of the stuff that Weiss had gotten was for the bees’ wedding reception. Plus they were about to walk into a dust store right that second, so at the very least Ruby could nerd out for a few minutes.  
Weiss walked right up to the cash register, and asked the man behind the counter for some refills for her sword, Myrtenaster. Ruby took this opportunity to place the bags onto the floor, stretching.

“Jeez, Weiss, you’re on a roll today.”

The older woman shot her an apologetic look, “I know this is boring, I’m sorry. There’s just a lot to do and not a lot of time. Plus we have that job in a few days as well, I just want to make sure I’ve got everything sorted.”

Ruby stepped forward, picking up a fire dust crystal to inspect, “Oh yeah! We haven’t been on a mission together for a while.”

The dark-haired girl could feel blue eyes burning into her, and Weiss was quiet for a second before she spoke again, “I’m still not so sure that this is the best idea.”

Ruby set the crystal back onto the counter, and fiddled around in her pocket for her wallet, “When have we ever had a problem on a hunt before?”

Weiss narrowed her eyes, “I can list countless times that things have gone wrong, Ruby.”

"We'll be okay, Weiss. I promise."

The man behind the counter came back, and Ruby pointed at the fire crystal. Weiss was about to get her own wallet out, but Ruby waved her off. The older woman was right, a lot of things had gone wrong in the past on countless missions that they’d been on and countless battles they’d fought. The younger of the two trusted her with her life, though, and she knew that she would protect the ex-heiress with it without a second thought. Weiss would do the same, Ruby knew that.  
They were strong on their own, but even stronger together, and the reports she’d been given were for a small pack of beowolves. It was risky, there was always risk, it was part of being a huntress. It was a unique circumstance that they were bridesmaids for a wedding that was only two weeks later. As she paid for the ammo, she started to have second thoughts, but only for a moment. Ruby knew they’d be fine, because they had each other.  
Weiss thanked Ruby, and for the first time that day she picked up a bag for herself. To be fair, it was Ruby’s fault for insisting to carry everything in the name of chivalry. Years of swinging a heavy scythe around effortlessly did have it’s advantages in the strength department, but this was beginning to be challenging even for her. The older woman looked over her shoulder as Ruby soldiered on behind her, laughing a little at the look of determination on her face.

“I think I’ve finished my detour for the day, why don’t we go throw that lot in the car and go grab something to eat?”

Ruby smiled at the prospect of food, but frowned a second later, “We still haven’t gotten the gift yet.”

Weiss hummed playfully, “The shops are still open for hours yet, we have plenty of time for that.”

Ruby grumbled, “You do realise that’s why I decided I wanted to come with you in the first place, right?”

The light-haired girl pretended to be offended, “You mean you don’t enjoy spending quality time with your girlfriend? Oh my, I’m very disappointed in you, Ruby Rose.”

Ruby stuck her tongue out, “Dolt.”

Weiss laughing told Ruby that she’d made the right call on how to retaliate.  
Once the pair had dumped their new belongings in the car, they walked back through the mall to the food court. They went in opposite directions, Ruby to grab some fast food while Weiss opted to browse one of the salad bars. They met back at one of the free tables, sitting across from each other. The pair sat fairly quietly, though it wasn’t an uncomfortable quiet. Weiss did tease Ruby by waving a fork full of green stuff under her nose while at the same time stealing the odd fry when Ruby wasn’t looking.  
Once the food was finished, they just sat watching the world go by for a little while, hands eventually being locked together over the table. Ruby eventually moved her gaze back onto the woman sitting across from her. Weiss wasn't looking, and she took this opportunity to admire her girlfriend.  
The way the sun, now beginning to dip just little, got caught in the older woman's shoulder length hair as she sat nosing around with her icy blue eyes was captivating. Ruby had to resist the urge to reach forward and brush some stray strands of hair behind her ear. The younger woman was pleasantly surprised when she saw a smile spreading across her face.  
She was even more surprised when Weiss stood up and reached her arms out.

"Blake! Yang!"

Ruby stood up as Blake threw her arms around Weiss like she hadn't seen her in months. Ruby's older sister smiled at the pair, then took the shorter girl into her arms. Blake waited her turn to hug Ruby, and once she did Ruby could have sworn she could hear her purring a little.  
The bees radiated happiness wherever they showed up these days, Ruby was especially happy to see her big sister like this. That, and she really enjoyed teasing her about Blake. They teased each other relentlessly, actually. Weiss especially found it funny, but would always get embarrassed when Yang started teasing her.  
Once the great huggening had passed, the girls stood back from each other in their respective pairs.

"Fancy seeing you two here! What a surprise!" Yang said cheerily, throwing her arm around Blake.

Blake flattened her ears a little, sighing, "Yang, we knew they were here."

"Oh? How did you know?" Weiss shot a glance at Ruby, "I don't think I mentioned it."

Ruby grinned awkwardly, scratching the back of her neck, "Uh, well, I may have told 'em we were shopping today."

The change in Weiss' expression made it apparent that she'd made a mistake. She winced a little, the flash of annoyance in the blue eyes staring at her was barely noticeable, but she recognised it all too well.   
While the bees were happily chatting amongst themselves, Weiss grabbed Ruby's hand and pulled her down to a height that she'd be able to whisper into her ear. What was subtly when her girlfriend was annoyed? Ruby didn't know. Yet, even with the exceedingly obvious action, Blake continued to tease Yang about something that had clearly happened at some other point in the day.

"We still need to get the present, you dolt, why would you tell them we're here?" Weiss hissed.

Ruby's eyes narrowed a little as she whispered back, "Well at that point, ice queen, I thought we'd be done by now."

Weiss frowned, then let out a little sigh, loosening her grip on Ruby's hand a little, "Touché, Ruby Rose, touché."

Ruby smiled a little, giving Weiss' hand a little squeeze before getting in close to whisper again, "Oh, I love it when I win these whisper fights."

The shorter woman gritted her teeth a little before firing back, "You did NOT win, we are BOTH at fault here."

"If you two lovebirds are done whispering sweet nothings to each other, we were wondering if you wanted to come back to our place for a bit?" Yang's voice cut them off abruptly.

The pair both went red, but in the end they nodded.

Blake rolled her eyes at Yang's obvious teasing, taking her arm and leading her away, "Great! We'll see you in a minute then."

Ruby waved at her sister, and she and her girlfriend stood for a second, still hand in hand. The dark-haired woman grimaced, knowing that now they definitely didn't have time to grab the gift, the only thing that they'd set out for. It wasn't uncommon for them to get sidetracked, but they were starting to get a little short of time.  
She felt Weiss gradually leaning into her, and couldn't resist leaning her head against the top of hers. Ruby knew she should have just assumed they wouldn't get straight to the point after spending years together. She gave Weiss' hand another little squeeze.

"Sorry, princess." Ruby said, softly so only the girl next to her could hear.

Weiss took hold of Ruby's arm with her free hand, "Don't 'princess' me, Ruby Rose. I'm still mad at you."

"Aw man, really?" Ruby could tell Weiss could feel her pouting.

The shorter woman poked her in the ribs playfully, before moving away a little, still holding onto Ruby's hand. Ruby took this as a 'we're leaving now', and the pair walked hand in hand back towards the car park.

~☆~

It was late when they eventually got home. When Ruby had told Blake they were going to head home so they could eat, the cat faunus had insisted that they stay. For a couple who were just weeks away from getting married, they were both their usual, silly and embarrassing selves. Ruby really didn't know how they handled the stress.  
She knew that it was a really happy time for them, and she understood how exciting it was, hell she was excited about it too. Weddings seemed to be a really big deal, and the huntress wasn't entirely convinced she'd be able to cope with the pressure. But she took solace in the fact that she didn't have to think about that. At least not yet.  
Then the thought crossed her mind again, Weiss getting upset the other week had sparked this thought more and more. She knew she loved Weiss. They'd been 'together' together for years now, and she was pretty sure Weiss loved her too… most of the time at least. Maybe being a Schnose would be worth the stress.  
The dark-haired girl plonked herself down on the couch once all the shopping from earlier in the day was inside, breathing out a sigh of relief. Weiss followed closely, sitting at the opposite end and resting her legs across Ruby's lap. She'd pretended to be mad the entire time they were out.  
Ruby placed a hand on her girlfriend's leg gently, smiling over at her apologetically.

"I really am sorry about earlier, Weiss."

Weiss sighed her way into returning the smile, "It doesn't matter, Ruby. We had a nice day, didn't we?"

"But it means you have to go shopping again, I should've just kept my mouth shut." Ruby spoke softly.

The older woman shook her head, her smile growing more sincere by the second, "Please don't worry about it, I have to go shopping again anyway. I'm not mad at you."

Ruby blushed a little, moving her silver eyes away from her girlfriend. Weiss moved her legs from Ruby's lap so she could get closer, giving her a little kiss on the cheek and taking hold of her hand. She lingered beside the dark-haired girl's face, and Ruby was about to turn her head when she spoke again.  
The whisper made Ruby's face grow a whole lot redder.

"I love you, Ruby Rose."

Ruby was frozen in place, a little giggle escaping her lips, "I-I love you too."

Weiss whispered again, leaning her forehead against the side of Ruby's face, "Gods, I love you."

The younger woman was practically melting, "W-Where'd this come from?"

"I've been unnecessarily mean to you all night, I think it's time I made up for it." Weiss' voice was gentle.

Ruby couldn't make herself respond, and Weiss brushed her lips against her cheek again tenderly. Ruby couldn't stop smiling, and she couldn't stop her face from becoming… well… ruby. She felt Weiss' breath against her ear, and practically combusted.

"Do you want to eat cookie dough right out of the packet with me?"

"M-Miss Schnee! Not in front of the children!"


	4. Red to white gradient, blending in the middle.

tw - injury mentions/violence

Weiss stood watching Ruby from the gate of the property as she talked to the notably worried owner. She grasped onto Myrtenaster's hilt with her left hand, the other was clenched into a fist. While she'd initially managed to convince herself that taking this job wouldn't be such a bad idea, she was having second thoughts.  
Missions like this could potentially be fun, sometimes it felt good to swoop around slicing up Grimm. Especially with Ruby, sometimes they'd even do a kill count. But she still had so much to do, she knew that the risk of injury wouldn't be helpful in the slightest. She'd just have to be extra careful.  
Ruby walked back up the path towards her, the familiar red cape swooping behind her in a little gust of wind. She tapped at her scroll for a second, before looking up at her. Weiss gave her a little smile, but didn't loosen the grip on her sword.

"You ready, partner?" Ruby asked, smiling back at her.

"As I'll ever be, Ruby."

Now wasn't the time for small talk. As they trekked through the forest, the pair began listening. The reports they'd been given hadn't changed, they were searching for a 'small' pack of beowolves to clear out. Apparently they'd moved into the forest out of the blue, and the man who'd offered them the mission knew the children of the area played in the forest a lot.  
This had been enough incentive for both of them, they hadn't even thought about it when they'd said yes. Weiss had been on solo missions that carried a higher risk than this and won with ease, but she felt the apprehension building with each step she took. She never usually felt like this with Ruby by her side, at least not this bad.  
Ruby had fallen into step beside her, and was eagerly looking around, scanning the tree line for signs of possible threats. When she ran forward a little, Weiss drew Myrtenaster only to realise that Ruby had found some tracks. She watched as the younger woman's face contorted slightly with worry, and instantly felt embarrassed.  
Her partner stood up, walking back towards her and briefly taking her hand.

"You're jumpy, are you alright?"

Weiss gave her hand a squeeze, "I just have a bad feeling, I can't shake it."

Ruby brushed a hand against her face gently, kissing her forehead, "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, I promise."

The older woman sighed, sheathing her sword and looking at the spot Ruby had been investigating, "Tracks? Are they fresh?"

Head back in the mission almost instantly, her fellow huntress nodded, "Mm, a few hours old at most. Looks like they were going in that direction."

Ruby pointed, and Weiss followed her hand with her eyes. All she could see was the trees before her, no sign of any monsters.  
They continued on, and Weiss couldn't shake how tense she was feeling. The decision to be extra careful seemed to translate to being scared, and she forced herself to try and control it. She desperately wanted to reach forward a little and take Ruby's hand, but she knew that it wasn't wise. Protecting each other took priority over fear.  
She joined Ruby in scanning the tree line, her hand slowly finding its way back to the hilt of her sword. The crunching and snapping of their own feet melded with their existing sounds of whatever wildlife was present, which in a way reassured her. It wasn't completely silent, and that usually meant danger wasn't close by.  
Weiss quickened her pace to walk alongside her partner, and looked up at her. Ruby's face always got determined on missions, there was almost a permanent frown on her face. The older woman had always admired this quality, she knew Ruby as silly and funny, but also as one of the most competent, talented huntresses there was. Even if she hadn't been blessed with her silver eyes.  
The younger woman didn't use her ability very often. Weiss hadn't seen her use it for ages, in fact. She knew that she had used it, her mission reports reflected that. But it seemed very few and far between, and usually if someone else was in immediate danger. She never used it to defend herself.  
Weiss almost smiled at the thought. But then whatever semblance of a smile that had formed faded. Ruby could be reckless sometimes, even now. The amount of times she'd come home and Weiss would see new little injuries here and there was enough to prove that. She'd always insist that she was alright, and most of the time she was, her aura being enough to heal her quickly.  
Ruby had told her countless times that she would always protect her, and Weiss had always jumped at the chance to return the favour. Ruby had sworn this since they were teenagers. Her duty as the team leader, as a friend. Weiss knew the lengths that they'd go for each other, and usually it would calm her.  
Her head was awash with several things, mostly to do with Blake and Yang's wedding. Increasingly now, to do with her own future. Her fear for this mission was fairly irrational, but the slight chance, the risk there always was with fighting Grimm, she knew that could stop it from becoming her reality.  
Despite the fear which continued to rise, she felt a blush finding its way onto her face. The future. Every future she could concoct in her mind, they all ended with her. Weiss couldn't imagine anything other than Ruby Rose. She glanced at the woman beside her again, longing to at least take hold of her arm.  
She'd been planning something else alongside the bee's wedding. From before a date had even been set. The pang in her chest made her realise what she was truly scared of. She didn't want to lose the woman she loved before… silence.

"Do you hear that?" Ruby's voice was lowered to a faint whisper.

Weiss shook her head, knowing what it meant, "No."

The pair had walked into a clearing, and there wasn't a singular noise to be heard. The forest was deathly quiet. Ruby took hold of Crescent Rose, still in it's compact form, and Weiss drew Myrtenaster as silently as possible.  
They edged forward, their eyes scanning the tree line. The forest was still silent, any noise at all was generated by the breeze cutting in and out of the leaves. Weiss could feel her heart begin to race, the pair now back to back, slowly turning in a circle. She could feel the odd breath catching in her throat.  
They were vulnerable in the open like this. But they knew they were no longer safe being between the trees. The underbrush outside of the clearing was extremely dense, being both a weakness and an advantage. It was obscuring their view, true, but it would also make it difficult to be snuck up on in any direction.  
Weiss' heart was hammering against her ribcage, and she pressed herself closer to Ruby's back. Ruby returned the gesture, but they both knew it was wise not to speak. Then Weiss saw it. A pair of yellow eyes staring back at her from between the leaves.

"THERE!" She shouted.

Ruby grabbed onto her, petal blasting them both out of the way as a beowolf alpha lunged out of the bushes, narrowly missing them both. As a flurry of, now a gradient of red to white, petals dispelled around them, it became apparent that they were surrounded.  
There was only one alpha, but enough regular beowolves to cause a problem. Ruby repositioned herself to face away from Weiss again, petals still floating through the air around them. With a howl, the pack advanced, and the huntresses got to work. Weiss effortlessly prepared a fire round with her sword, and shot fireballs at several of their assailants.  
Ruby shot a few rounds into the nearest grimm, before spinning the now scythe around in her fingertips. Weiss felt another blast of petals behind her, and she heard her partner making fast work of her selected opponents. The ex-heiress propelled herself forward using her glyphs, and drove her sword straight through the head of one of the smaller monsters.  
The alpha had seemingly shrunk back, allowing it's pack to take care of the humans without putting itself at risk. It was starting to eye up Ruby, slowly making an approach. Weiss caught sight of what it was doing, and summoned a glyph right beside it's head, hitting it with as much force as she would muster. While her attention was on the larger threat, one of the other wolves swiped at her, knocking her off her feet.  
Ruby noticed Weiss getting up off the floor, and had soon beheaded the monster that had hurt her. The older woman got up, noticing a little cut on Ruby's cheek. She raised her brow in concern and Ruby shot her a quick smile, before they backed up against each other again.

"Man, there's more of these things than I thought there'd be. You alright, princess?"

"I've still got plenty of aura. What about you?"

"I'm fine." Ruby did sound fine, "Why'd you go for the big guy?"

"It was looking at you." Weiss said bluntly, getting a lightning round ready for Myrtenaster.

"Concentrate on yourself, okay? You don't have to take more hits like that."

The pair lunged forward again, picking off the smaller beowolves one by one. They got hit a few more times, but still had the strength to stand when the time came to face the alpha.  
After making absolutely sure that there were no remaining threats surrounding them, they stood side by side. The alpha was very clearly battle worn, and the blast from Weiss' glyph beforehand had evidently made the bone-like texture of it's face begin to crack.  
It was the biggest wolf that Weiss had seen in a while, and she was scared about what a swipe from one of it's claws would do. That's when she felt a hand touch her arm, and she glanced at Ruby. There was a smile on her face, and Weiss would have thought it odd if not for the words that came from her mouth next.

"Ice Flower?"

Weiss rolled her eyes, "Y'know, I still think that's a silly name."

Weiss quickly summoned an ice glyph in front of them, and Ruby anchored her scythe into the ground. As the alpha beowolf ran forward, Ruby fired rounds into the glyph, creating huge blasts of ice to hit the monster. Some broke upon impact, and some caught the grimm's feet.  
With a nod, Weiss summoned a gravity glyph beneath her partner, propelling her up into the air. The ex-heiress watched as she spun effortlessly through the air, using a petal blast to gain even more speed on her descent. The sharp edge of the scythe connected with the soft throat of the beowolf, severing it in one swoop. The younger woman landed on her feet as the grimm's body turned to dust, a little trail of petals still swarming around her cloak.  
The forest seemed to come alive again, so Weiss breathed a sigh of relief, checking her aura level. Or, to her surprise, lack of. She hadn't realised it had been completely depleted. She checked Ruby's, a little happier seeing that she still had a slither left.

"Phew, that was tougher than I thought it was gonna be."

Weiss batted at the air where petals were still floating around, trying to fan them away, "Yeah, what were you saying again the whole journey here? This was gonna be a nice fun job."

Ruby smiled, "We got to use Ice Flower! Wasn't that fun?"

The older woman rolled her eyes, "It was fun launching you in the air afterwards."

The younger woman narrowed her eyes, "I'm detecting aggression."

Weiss grinned, "Oh never, I-"

It all happened so fast.   
Weiss practically threw Ruby out of the way as she saw the beowolf launch forward. Her expression barely changed enough for her partner to realise something was wrong. The battle had gone well in the end. Of course they weren't expecting one last ambush.  
The ex-heiress felt the mouth of the grimm close around her waist, and the searing pain of teeth began puncturing flesh. She couldn't reach Myrtenaster. She was too tired to summon anything. As the wolf began to shake her body, she caught a glimpse of Ruby grabbing Crescent Rose, and her worry stricken face.  
The monster stopped shaking Weiss around, throwing her from its mouth. Her body collided with one of the trees, and she hit her head as she fell to the ground. She wasn't sure when she'd started crying, but she could feel something wet on her face as she lay on her side.  
The world was spinning, but she could just about see Ruby and three more beowolves. Her ears were ringing, she couldn't make out what Ruby was shouting. Crescent Rose became a blur for a second, before there was a flash. Silver eyes. She'd used them.  
Quick, muffled footsteps advanced towards her, and she could've sworn she felt a hand on her stomach. Weiss wasn't certain, her whole body had gone numb now. Her ears began to ring less but she still couldn't hear Ruby's voice.   
She wanted to hear it so badly. Wanted to have the strength to tell her that she loved her. Tell her off for being so careless. She wanted to be able to feel Ruby's arms around her properly, through her blurred vision she could see the tears in her girlfriend's eyes. If only she could reach up. Tell her it was okay.  
But it wasn't. The world in front of her started to go black, but her hearing cleared just before she blacked out.

"WEISS!"


	5. A red rose laying on a broken mirror.

A timid knock came at the door, and Weiss looked away from the mirror. She quickly let her nightgown drop, not wanting whoever was there to see the new, huge scar on her abdomen. The ex-heiress took a breath and walked over, taking hold of the handle.  
It was Ruby, her partner. Weiss smiled at her, but when she didn't receive one in return she knew something was up. This was her best friend, after all. The girl, shorter than Ruby without her heels, moved out of the way to let her in. They were sharing this room anyway.  
She closed the door again, watching as Ruby sat on the bed that Weiss had claimed. That would usually be enough incentive to throw an insult the younger girl's way, but this time she bit her tongue, sitting down next to her. Ruby wouldn't look at her, no matter how much Weiss willed her to.   
Silver eyes just stayed staring at the ground.

"What's wrong?" Weiss asked, genuinely concerned.

Ruby didn't answer, clenching her fists tightly. The ex-heiress hesitated for a second, not really sure what was going on. She eventually sighed, reaching over and placing a hand on her partner's.

"Speak to me, Ruby. What's going on?"

Ruby took one look in her direction, before beginning to cry. Weiss felt a pang in her chest, not really sure what to do. Her partner looked absolutely distraught, she knew the younger girl needed to offload sometimes, but this was the worst she'd ever seen. She absolutely hated it.  
After staring in disbelief for a second, she took Ruby in her arms. She cradled the girl in her arms for a few minutes, gently running her fingers through dark hair. Ruby clung onto her desperately, and only moved away when a few more sobs left her body.  
Weiss touched her friend's face once they moved apart a little, wiping away a few of the fresh tears that continued to form. Ruby's normally vibrant silver eyes were dull with grief, and she could barely look her partner in the face.

"Hey… what's the matter? Do you want to talk about it or do you just want me to carry on hugging you?" The ex-heiress said as she brushed some hair from Ruby's face.

Ruby took Weiss' hand as it fell, something that made the older girl blush a little, "Y-You… you were…"

It looked like someone had died, the expression on Ruby's face was so full of misery and distress. Weiss absent-mindedly ran her free hand along where the scar was, she could still feel the stretched and warped skin through her nightgown. She was careless and blindly prideful in her abilities, and she'd almost paid the ultimate price.  
The ex-heiress couldn't remember much of the pain she felt, only waking up to see Jaune boosting her aura, to which she would forever be grateful. The scar that had been left was an uncomfortable, yet practically painless reminder that being reckless could cost you. Weiss at least knew now that she should look out for flaming spears more often.  
How Ruby felt now, it was because of her, and the sinking feeling in her chest only grew as she watched her friend continue to cry in front of her.

"I-I couldn't… I-I didn't protect you." Ruby sobbed, now clinging onto Weiss' arms.

"That's not on you. You can't blame yourself for what happened." Weiss freed herself to cup the younger girl's face.

"Y-You died, a-and I couldn't-" Ruby closed her eyes, shaking her head.

Weiss could feel tears starting to form in her own eyes, but was desperate not to let them fall. She raised Ruby's chin gently, forcing them to make eye contact. She smiled a little, trying to be reassuring.

"I didn't die. I'm still here. You were the one who told Jaune to carry on, and you protected us both while he was helping me."

"B-But I-" Ruby's eyes widened when she felt Weiss' finger pressing firmly down on her lips.

"This wasn't your fault. You can't protect everyone and yourself at once, Ruby. You did nothing wrong."

Ruby's face was still heartbroken, but she placed her hands on Weiss' shoulders, "I-If I can't protect my own partner, m-my best friend…"

Ruby trailed off again, looking down. Weiss sighed sadly, leaning forward to press her forehead against Ruby's. She looked down at Ruby's hands, taking one and pressing it onto where the scar was. The younger girl didn't move away, but her partner could feel her shaking.   
Weiss said nothing for a little while, keeping Ruby's hand where it was. Foreheads still pressed together, she decided to speak again.

"See? I'm still here. I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

Ruby's response was timid, "Y-You promise?"

Weiss closed her eyes, leaning into Ruby a little more, "I promise you, Ruby Rose."

Ruby's hand started to steady a little, and she moved away a little, forcing Weiss to look up. She still looked like a wounded puppy, but she was definitely calmer than she had been. The older girl smiled again, and let Ruby take her hand away from her stomach. She gave Weiss the tiniest smile before looking away again.  
The older girl thought for a moment, before standing up off of her bed. She felt more sick with worry than hungry, but she knew this would be a sure fire way to get the smile back on her friend's face.

"How about I go get us a box of cookies? What d'you thi-"

She was cut off by Ruby grabbing hold of her arms, "No."

Weiss looked over her shoulder, shocked, "Y-You don't want cookies?"

Ruby looked up at her, a conflicted look on her face, "I'm too tired. I want to sleep."

The ex-heiress let out a little sigh. She was exhausted, but she didn't want to go to sleep knowing Ruby wasn't really feeling any better at all. She sat down next to the dark-haired girl again, and Ruby let go of her arm.   
They were silent for a minute, and after the younger girl still hadn't moved to her own bed, Weiss glanced over at her.

"Can I sleep here tonight?" Ruby asked, and Weiss felt her heart jumping to her throat a little.

"W-What? In my bed?"

"I-I… I don't want to be alone."

Her partner looked at her, tears looking like they were going to start falling in floods again. Weiss swallowed her pride, and after a sigh, she nodded. She summoned a glyph under one of the pillows on Ruby's bed, flipping it over and catching it.  
The younger girl seemed to brighten a little just from that, and Weiss rolled her eyes, handing it over. She let Ruby lie down first, before turning the lights off and positioning herself next to her. She pulled the covers around them both, but was surprised when she felt Ruby wrap her arms around her, resting her head on Weiss' chest. The second pillow became pointless.  
Weiss could still feel the girl clinging onto her sniffling every now and then. She didn't have the heart to shove Ruby away. Instead, she stroked Ruby's hair gently with one hand, and held on to one of the arms around her with the other. She stared at the ceiling, beginning to accept the warmth of her partner's body.  
Their chests fell into a similar rhythm, and as Weiss felt her eyes growing increasingly heavy, she leant her head against Ruby's.

"I'll always be here"

~☆~

Ruby struggled to open her eyes, desperately trying to recognize the scene in front of her.   
She was alone, slumped in a hospital corridor. The huntress forced herself to sit up properly, stretching her body as much as she could without getting in the way of people walking past. They'd initially told her to go home and get some sleep. She had gone home, only for long enough to change out of her huntress gear.  
Ruby had wanted to be by her girlfriend's side, but they still hadn't moved her to a ward, and they still hadn't told her how badly she was hurt. The young woman put her head in her hands. She had to be with Weiss. Why were they denying her that?  
She heard some footsteps, and someone kneeling down in front of her. She felt a hand brushing through her hair, and looked up to see Blake, the older woman's yellow eyes glowing slightly in the dim light of the hallway. She took Ruby's face in her hands and bumped their foreheads together, her cat ears flattened against the top of her head.  
Ruby was too tired to cry again, but felt another wave of overwhelming sadness pass through her body.

"Yang's getting you some coffee, I thought I'd come and keep you company while she's gone." Blake said softly, getting up off the floor and sitting down beside her.

Ruby flashed her a quick smile, "Thanks, Blake."

"Have you slept at all? Do you want us to take over waiting for a bit?" The faunus' voice was laced with concern, and she still hadn't raised her ears again.

"No, that's alright. I don't want to miss anything."

Blake sighed, her ears twitching a little before putting an arm out. Ruby blinked before leaning into her, allowing the older woman to hold onto her and brush fingers through her hair gently. Exhaustion tried to coax Ruby into sleeping, but she forced herself to keep them open.  
She began struggling more when she heard Blake purring gently, that mixed with the hand on her head were almost enough to knock her out completely. That was until the purring stopped, and Ruby heard a much clumpier set of footsteps heading their way.   
Yang sat on the opposite side of Ruby, gently placing her prosthetic hand on her back. It was freezing, but the younger girl didn't jump up, slowly sitting away from Blake to look at her big sister.

"I'm sorry, sis, they didn't have any sugar. You don't have to drink this if you don't want to."

Ruby shook her head, taking the cup that was being held in her direction, "I'll drink it, I don't mind."

It was disgusting, but she couldn't care less about whether her coffee tasted good or not. Yang put an arm around Ruby as she sat taking tentative sips of the drink, not really sure if she felt any less exhausted with each tiny amount of caffeine that entered her bloodstream.   
She felt Blake take Yang's hand, thankful that they seemed to be creating a protective barrier either side of her. They'd not hesitated when she'd called them to tell them what was going on. It was definitely better with the pair here, but she still felt like she'd lost everything.  
The sight of Weiss in the grimm's mouth hadn't left her, seeing the crimson blood on its teeth. Ruby watching as the light drained from those icy blue eyes, tears trailing out of them. Feeling her little body go limp in her arms. It wouldn't leave her brain, and kept playing over and over again.   
It was her fault. It was Ruby's fault. If she'd been paying attention, Weiss wouldn't have pushed her out of the way.  
Ruby could feel her eyes stinging, but still no tears fell. She was more angry than anything. She'd been so stupid, how hadn't she noticed the other monsters. She still had aura left! She would have been okay. Her hands gripped onto the flimsy coffee cup more tightly, and she grimaced.   
They were supposed to be protecting each other, she'd promised that nothing would happen to Weiss. She was the one who had insisted they take the mission in the first place, and she was the one still standing here. Ruby would have done anything to trade places with her partner.  
She deserved it. She'd broken her promise. The woman she loved was in hospital because of her, possibly dying because of her, and she resented it. It was her duty, and she'd failed.  
Ruby stood up, surprising the women either side of her.

"Ruby?" Yang stood up as well, closely followed by her fiance.

"Ruby, what're you doing?"

"This was all my fault, we should never have gone."

Yang moved to stand in front of her, taking her by the shoulders, "Hey… blaming yourself won't help. It wasn't your fault."

"It was me who convinced her to go, Yang! I promised nothing would happen to her, and I failed her." Ruby could feel her anger building.

Blake took hold of one of her arms as well, her yellow eyes wide, "It was the grimm's fault, Ruby. If Weiss hadn't knocked you out of the way, you'd be-"

"I'd have been fine, Blake. I still had aura left. She knew I still had aura left. Why did I insist we do the mission together? Oh gods." Ruby clenched her fists again, staring a hole into the ground.

"Of course she was willing to put herself in danger for you, sis. She loves you!" Yang tried to lift Ruby's gaze but failed, "She didn't care, in that moment she wanted to save you at any cost."

Ruby noticed Blake's ears flatten a little then, but they refocused their attention onto her, "If you keep blaming yourself, it'll get the better of you."

Ruby pushed away from them, standing with her arms folded tightly to her chest, "How could I not, though?"

That's when the trio saw a doctor walking towards them, and they looked up simultaneously. Ruby had to resist the urge to petal blast across the corridor and pin the man against the wall to demand information. The younger woman couldn't read the expression on his face, but desperately tried to make sense of it anyway.  
Blake took Ruby's hand as the man looked at the clipboard he was holding.

"How is she, Doctor?" The faunus asked.

"She appears to be stable for now. Despite the nasty hit to the head, there doesn't appear to be any lasting damage to the brain. We initially thought her arm may be broken, but the Grimm's teeth didn't puncture the bone. She has several broken ribs however, and is yet to wake up."

"S-She's alive?" Ruby managed, gripping onto Blake's hand more tightly.

"Yes. You are free to sit with Miss Schnee now if you wish."

Ruby was about to run off, but she realised that she had no idea where she was going. The doctor led them to one of the private rooms not far from where they'd been sat to begin with. At least this meant they could spend as much time with her as needed. Once Ruby saw her, she knew she wasn't going to leave her side.  
Weiss looked even smaller in a hospital bed, the gown she wore looked far too big for her. Her short hair was messy, and Ruby could see a sprinkling of bruises and scrapes on the parts of her body that were visible. She knew the beowolf had bitten down into her midriff, but the blanket was covering that area.  
Her eyes were closed, and as Ruby walked towards her, she could feel the tears in her eyes. This was her fault, she couldn't shake that idea from her mind. All her fault, and all could do now was watch her girlfriend breathe slowly, and listen to the periodic beeps of the heart monitor.  
Ruby gingerly brushed some hair from Weiss forehead, before leaning down to kiss it miserably. She sat in the chair closest to the bed, and took hold of the hand closest to her.  
Blake and Yang stood beside her, quietly greeting Weiss as well. The trio fell completely silent after that, the atmosphere of the room bleak. Being stable meant nothing if she wasn't going to wake up, and Ruby felt sick thinking about that possibility. The bees tried to break the silence periodically, but Ruby had become completely unresponsive.  
The pair stayed with Ruby all day, despite her being laser focussed on her girlfriend. Their presence was welcome, though, each minute they spent with her meant she was further away from having a breakdown. Blake mostly just silently comforted Ruby, while Yang would make sure that she kept eating and drinking throughout the day.  
Weiss' condition remained the same for hours. It was almost the dawn of another day when Yang tapped Ruby on the shoulder.

"We're going to go home now, sis. We're gonna get some sleep."

Ruby looked up at her, smiling a tiny little smile, "Sure, no worries."

"Do you want us to take you home too? You could stay with us for the night even." Blake brushed a hand through Ruby's hair again softly.

"Nah, I'm good here. Thank you though, Blake."

The faunus flattened her ears, sighing before kissing the top of Ruby's head softly, "You call us if you need us, okay?"

Yang gave Ruby a kiss goodbye as well, lingering longer than Blake. Ruby could feel the worry radiating off of her, so flashed her older sister another smile.

"Yang, I'll be alright. Go get some sleep."

Purple eyes searched Ruby's face, before let out a resigned sigh, "At least close your eyes for a little while. Please."

The younger woman nodded, "Okay."

And then she was alone again. The security blanket of her sister and sister-to-be was gone. She looked back at Weiss, her eyes brimming with tears. Her broken little body, her chest still rising and falling rhythmically. The old scar across her left eye, a testament to how brave she was, the new cuts that would likely create fresh ones.  
This was the woman she loved. Ruby couldn't take it anymore. She buried her head into the blanket covering Weiss' legs, closed her eyes and wept. Eventually, the exhaustion of not sleeping must have caught up to her, because with her head resting against her girlfriend, she cried herself to sleep.

~☆~

It was late morning by the time Ruby felt herself coming gaining consciousness again. Her body screamed in pain from being slumped over, but she slowly raised her head. She noticed Weiss' hand was no longer in hers, and felt a sudden rush of panic, sitting up a little too quickly for someone who had been crumpled into an awkward ball for hours on end.  
Once her vision had cleared, she stared, relieved to see her girlfriend was still in the bed. But then she noticed them. Her eyes. Blue eyes wide and full of concern stared back into tired silver intensely. Weiss… Weiss was awake. For how long?

"Ruby? F-finally, I've been trying to wake you up for a while."

Ruby's lip quivered into a little smile, "Weiss?"

"Hey there." The older woman smiled back.

"I…" Ruby started crying again, "I'm so sorry."

She buried her head back into the spot she'd originally been laying against, and she couldn't stop. Weiss was sitting in this awful place because of her. And she couldn't even hold it together long enough to ask if Weiss was alright.  
The older woman, now staring at her girlfriend in disbelief, desperately tried to calm her down. It was painful for her to move too far, but she sat herself forward enough to run her fingers through Ruby's hair, with her good arm at least. The right was bandaged right around the joint, making it harder to move.  
Ruby continued to sob, and nothing Weiss was trying worked to calm her down. She ended up just sitting quietly, continuing to brush her hand through Ruby's hair, until she heard her breathing starting to calm down. Eventually, the younger woman lifted her head again, a slower stream of tears now falling from them.  
Weiss traced her hand down to Ruby's cheek, raising her brow in concern.

"Ruby, I'm okay."

The dark-haired girl looked away, "You shouldn't have even been there in the first place. I'm the one who convinced you it would be okay."

The ex-heiress frowned a little, trying to shift a little closer to Ruby without hurting herself too much more, "You can't blame yourself every time I get hurt, Ruby. You've said it yourself to me when YOU have been hurt in the past, it helps nothing."

Ruby grasped on to the hand that had just left her cheek, "You could have died, Weiss! Why did you push me out of the way?!"

The level of misery on Ruby's face was something that Weiss hadn't seen in many years. She hated it, she wished she didn't have to see her like this. Weiss had been reckless again, but this time it was to protect her partner. It was something they'd both sworn countless times in the past.   
Weiss would do anything for Ruby, even if it meant risking her life to make sure she didn't get hurt. Ruby would have done the same without even blinking, the older woman knew this. Ruby was one of the few people in the world that mattered to her.   
Her frown grew more intense, and she squeezed onto her girlfriend's hand tightly.

"Because I love you." Her response was blunt.

Another wave of sadness crashed into Ruby, her silver eyes filled with fear, "I can't lose you. I can't do this without you. Y-You can't-, w-when I saw you close your eye I-"

Ruby clutched onto the hospital bed's blanket, and she looked away from Weiss again. The light-haired woman could feel her heart breaking into little pieces watching her girlfriend so distraught, but she quickly built it back up again.  
She removed her hand from Ruby's, clenched both into fists.

"Ruby Rose, stand up and come closer!"

Ruby did as she was told, but still wouldn't look Weiss in the face. She was surprised when she felt cold little hands grabbing hold of her face, and even more shocked when Weiss pulled her down. The older woman kissed her hard, and Ruby eventually reciprocated.  
They broke apart, and Weiss panted a little as she pressed her forehead against Ruby's.

"I'll always be here, Ruby. I'm not going to let the gods take me from you. Not yet."

Ruby could see tears in Weiss' eyes now too, and she touched her nose to hers, "I love you, Weiss. I love you so much, I'm so sorry."

Weiss kissed her cheek softly, before returning to press her forehead firmly against Ruby's again, "Gods I love you too, but please stop apologising. I'm begging you."

The ex-heiress pulled Ruby closer, wrapping her arms around her tightly. Ruby clung on as much as she dared, terrified that her grasp would hurt the girl in the hospital bed. She wept into her girlfriend's shoulder, and despite the pain in her right arm, Weiss tangled her fingers in Ruby's hair, nestling into the crook of her neck.  
Ruby wanted to apologise again, but she stopped herself. Instead, she mustered one last little I love you before becoming completely inconsolable. Weiss placed a gentle kiss on her neck before snuggling back into her.

"I'm here, Ruby. I've got you."


	6. A peaceful farm with an open field.

Weiss was sat topless on the edge of the bed, studying the injuries she'd sustained from the beowolf attack. With the help of her replenished aura and the stitches she'd received, the deep puncture wounds were now nothing more than tender, yet fading scars. It was the same story with her arm, that too had visibly healed, yet could still be quite painful if she exerted herself too much.  
That was something that had barely happened in the last week though, Ruby barely let her out of her sight. Weiss wasn't surprised at all, but the guilt of making her girlfriend worry so much ate away at her a little. She knew she'd do the same for Ruby though, and it made her feel a little bit better about the situation.  
She felt along her ribs, wincing and retracting her hand. This pain was nothing compared to how it had started out, but still made getting anything of substance done a much more difficult task. Again, Ruby had been a massive help, taking care of as much as humanly possible while at the same time only being a shout or a call away.  
Weiss attempted to lift her arms above her head, this too proving too painful to sustain for any length of time. It was better than not being able too at all, but she just huffed. It was more frustrating than anything. But she would never have gone back on the decision to do what she did.  
Ruby walked back into the bedroom then, smiling softly at her before sitting next to her, placing a hand tenderly on her bare back.  
"Everything's packed into the car. You going outside like that?" Ruby asked, a little twinkle of amusement on her face.

Weiss narrowed her eyes, pretending to be annoyed, "Do you always tease your patients?"

Ruby smiled, "Only my favourite one."

The older woman shook her head, laughing a little before wincing again. Now that just wasn't fair at all, would she have to be miserable until next week to heal in time for the wedding? Ruby's face instantly became one of concern, and Weiss just shot her a little smile.  
She beckoned Ruby closer as if she was going to whisper something, but that kissed her on the cheek tenderly.

"Can I wear one of your sweaters again?"

"Y'know, it's been weird hearing you ask for once." Ruby teased again, earning another little glare.

"Do you want other people to see me like this or something?"

Ruby blushed, frowning and puffing her cheeks out, "I-I… Gods."

Weiss watched in amusement as Ruby got up to fish some sweaters out of one of the draws. She was offered a sizable selection, but ultimately went for one that she knew was the biggest and by far the most comfy, a washed out red sweater with the word 'Indomitable' written on it.  
She took the sweater off of Ruby, and just sat looking at it for a second. The younger woman noticed this, and knelt down enough to be at eye level with her.

"D'you want some help?" Silver eyes searching her partner's face.

Weiss felt the embarrassment rising a little inside of her, but ultimately sighed, "Y-Yes please, if you don't mind."

Ruby took the sweater, and Weiss got up slowly. Her body ached for a second before she stood herself up as straight as possible. The younger woman carefully pulled the sweater over her head, and positioned each arm of the piece of clothing in a way when Weiss wouldn't have to stretch too much to put it on.  
Weiss looked up at Ruby once the sweater had covered her, smiling softly. The silver-eyed girl smiled back, leaning down to kiss her forehead gently.

"Sorry, I promise I'll be able to dress myself properly soon." Weiss said, looking away.

Ruby shook her head, still smiling, "Don't be silly, Weiss. I don't mind."

The ex-heiress blushed a little, placing her hands on Ruby's waist gently, "What'd I do to deserve you, hm?"

Ruby pulled a face for a second, pretending to think, "Eh, girl pretty I guess?"  
Weiss let out a groan, her eyes narrowing a little. Ruby just laughed, leaning down to give her a quick kiss before turning on her heels. The older woman watched as Ruby walked towards the bedroom door again, shooting a smile over her shoulder. She beckoned for Weiss to follow her.

"Right, are we going or what? Is there anything else you need to grab?"

"A few things, actually. I'll meet you down there, okay?" Weiss felt another blush warming her face.

Ruby raised her eyebrows in concern, "You sure you can manage by yourself?"

"Yes! Yes, I'll be fine."

With one last concerned look, Ruby turned away and walked down the stairs.  
Oscar had invited them to the farm a few days early after he'd heard what happened, and that's where they were headed now. Despite her absence, practically everything was ready for the bees, and Weiss didn't mind the idea of having what was essentially a little holiday to relax beforehand.  
She picked up a few things and stashed them into a little bag. Her make up bag and her scroll, and a few other possessions that she thought she might need as it would be a little while before they'd be back home again. Weiss took one last look at the bedroom before leaving, satisfied that she had everything.  
Despite the pain she was in now, she knew she wanted to make the next few days and the wedding special. She was excited about her teammates finally being able to celebrate being in love. She was excited about being able to relax with her girlfriend for a little while. They both needed it.  
Ruby was sat tapping on the steering wheel when Weiss eventually made it out of the house, and the smile on her face when she saw the older woman approaching made her heart flutter a little.

"You ready, princess?"

"As I'll ever be, Ruby Rose."

The pair set off. It would only take them an hour or two to drive to the farm, and Weiss watched as the landmarks around them fizzled out into beautiful, open countryside. She resisted the urge to fall asleep, instead attempting to hum along to the radio as it played an all manner of songs. Singing would have made her too breathless in her current condition, but she still found it fun.  
Ruby would pipe up every now and then, mostly excited when she saw some random country wildlife, or complaining about having to edge along slowly after farm vehicles. It was the most genuinely happy the younger woman had been in days, and Weiss was relieved.   
They'd spent the first night home from hospital consoling each other, Ruby still trying to come to terms with the fact that this wasn't her fault, and Weiss hating that Ruby was hurting so much. This mood right now was essentially back to normal for them, and Weiss hoped that the tiring negative emotions would stay away.  
Weiss watched as the scenery grew more familiar, and she could soon see the farmhouse and its outbuildings in plain view. She hadn't expected Oscar to go back to farming once the war with Salem was over. But she could tell that he was happy leading a peaceful life again, broken only by the visits from Team RWBY and the rest of Team JNOR.  
As they pulled up the drive, the pair noticed their friend waiting for them at the doorway, and Ruby had barely opened the car door before petal blasting over to him and crushing him with a bear hug.

"OSCAR!"

"MY SPINE, RUBY, MY SPINE." Oscar shouted back, only returning the hug when Ruby had loosened her grip.

"Oh gods I'm sorry." Ruby let go and stepped back, scratching the back of her neck awkwardly.

Weiss walked over much more slowly, smiling at their friend. Unfairly, Oscar wasn't shorter than her anymore, but despite that and the light sprinkling of stubble on his face, he'd remained pretty much unchanged. He was only a little taller than Ruby, though.   
He carefully put his arms around Weiss as she stepped forward to hug him, just as happy to see the younger man again as her girlfriend was. It had only been a few weeks, mind, but it was always nice to see him.

"Hey! Thanks for having us early, Oscar. I hope we aren't in the way."

The younger man smiled, "You two? Getting in the way? Never."

"To be fair, Weiss is only very small, she doesn't usually get in the way of anything." Ruby teased proudly.

That earned a scowl, but Weiss quickly returned her attention to Oscar again, "Where are we staying?"

Their friend smiled, and pointed towards one of the outbuildings, "It's all set up for you. It was gonna be yours for the wedding anyway."

Ruby insisted on driving the car closer to the building, but Weiss decided to stay standing with Oscar. The man stayed silent for a minute, before gently placing an arm on Weiss' shoulder. She glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Os?"

"How are you?" He asked gently, smiling at her.

"I'm doing alright now. I'll be doing much better in a few more days."

"Are you still going to go ahead with everything?" His voice was a mixture of happiness and concern.

Weiss sighed, putting an arm around him gingerly, in a way that wouldn't hurt, "I plan to, yes."

Oscar smiled, and watched as Ruby began petal blasting back towards them, "If you need any help, let me know. Movie gang have to stick together at times like this."

"Me, you and Jaune need to go to the movies again soon," Weiss smiled, pausing before looking up at him, "Thank you, Oscar."

Ruby stopped in front of them, sending petals flying into their faces. Weiss didn't even flinch, while the younger man beside her was a little shocked by the sudden fluffy. He brushed the rogue petals from his hair, and did his best to pick them off of his clothes.  
Weiss moved to stand next to her girlfriend, taking hold of her arm.

"I'll make you two some dinner tonight, if you want? For now though, I'm going to let you get settled in."

Ruby brightened up at the mention of Oscar cooking, "You're the best! Thanks, man!"

Their friend walked back inside his house, still dusting petals off of his clothes. Ruby took one of the hands that Weiss had on her arm, and leant down to kiss the top of her head. The older woman smiled softly, wishing that she could just take tight hold of Ruby without her lungs aching.  
The older woman felt Ruby creating a little gap between them, looking up at her, slightly surprised. But the look on Ruby's face told her what was coming next.

"Y'know, that walk is pretty far~." Ruby trailed off, trying not to look excited.

"Oh wow, just how do you suggest I make it all the way over there in my condition, oh noble and wise Ruby Rose." Weiss' voice was riddled with sarcasm.

"Would you allow me to sweep you off your feet, princess?" 

Weiss gasped a little for effect, "But Miss Rose, I am already head over heels for you."

That broke Ruby, and she burst out laughing, "That was gross!"

The older woman didn't laugh in return out of fear it would hurt, but tilted her head and grinned, "Are you going to carry me over there or not?"

Silver eyes focussed on blue again, and she very gently reached forward, taking Weiss into her arms bridal style, "Yes ma'am."

The blast only lasted seconds, but Weiss enjoyed watching as the now gradiented petals drifted gently to the floor around them. While she was still in Ruby's arms, she cupped her face and kissed her softly, and the younger woman had no objections.  
Weiss was starting to care less and less about the state of her body, and she could feel the happiness building from deep inside her. They were both still here, and they had each other. That was enough for the ex-heiress. She had to break off the kiss sooner than usual though, her breath catching a little in her throat.   
Ruby placed her down, giving her a concerned yet playful little smile.

"Have I really taken your breath away?"

Weiss grimaced, rolling her eyes, "You're such a dolt."

After that, Ruby began unpacking the car, Weiss helping where she could with some lighter things, but ultimately ended up nestled in an arm chair as comfortably as possible. She nearly nodded off, but when she felt a hand place itself on her leg, she looked up.  
Her girlfriend knelt down in front of her, and she rested her chin on Weiss' lap. The older woman smiled down at her gently, lazily brushing her hand through Ruby's hair.

"So… what d'you wanna do?"

~☆~

The pair spent the next few days being lazy. They laid in bed until early afternoon, and went on some walks around the fields near the farm. Oscar had provided them with whatever they needed, but had left them to their own devices for the most part. They loved every minute of it, it was the healing that they had both desperately needed.  
By the time the fourth day had come around, and with the amount of rest and careful exercise, Weiss was feeling a hell of a lot better. Despite still getting a little breathless from time to time, the pain she had been feeling when they'd arrived had mostly subsided. Ruby had still been extremely attentive, but to Weiss' relief, she was worrying less and less.  
Weiss studied her face in the bathroom mirror, making certain that she was happy with her hair. It was in a tiny little ponytail, and she'd fitted a crown clip that was similar to the ones she always used to wear back when she was younger.  
Dressing herself this time, she'd picked out one of her casual dresses. A loose fitting pale blue number with what was essentially a black belt made from the same fabric. She was a little wary of the light scars on her right arm, but shook the thought from her head.   
They were just a reminder that she'd saved the woman she loved. Nothing more. She watched as said woman walked into the bathroom behind her, gently wrapping her arms around her waist and leaning her chin against the top of her head. Weiss smiled, leaning back into her and keeping eye contact in the mirror.

"Hey." She said softly, taking hold of the arms around her.

"You look beautiful." Ruby beamed, kissing the top of her head softly.

Weiss pulled tongues at her, but saw a light blush coming to her cheeks, "I know."

The older woman stifled a laugh as she saw her girlfriend rolling her eyes before letting go of her. Weiss turned around as Ruby held out a hand towards her. She took it, and Ruby led her out of the bathroom and towards the door, picking up a picnic basket on her way.  
It had been a beautiful day, but the pair had risen late as was the norm. It was still beautiful and warm, but there were signs that the sun was beginning to set. At first they were just going to binge on junk food in their little cottage, but Weiss had pointed out that they didn't have much longer before the bees wedding and the set up for that would take place.  
The pair walked hand in hand out of the grounds of Oscar's farm, and towards one of the many surrounding fields. One in particular had become their favourite while they were staying, and they climbed the hilly landscape until they reached the top.  
Ruby set down the picnic blanket, and Weiss watched intently as she plopped herself down. Weiss sat herself down too, if not a little more elegantly than her girlfriend. The pair went about setting up their food, pouring drinks for each other and picking out whatever they wanted.  
They just sat talking and laughing, enjoying each other's company. While Ruby sat watching the world go by, Weiss couldn't stop herself from watching her. Her eyes lighting up as she talked about something funny she'd seen online, her excited little smile every time she spotted a cow moving to a different position.  
The last few days had been amazing, no responsibilities at all, no sudden calls for missions, and Ruby. Having Ruby entirely to herself, every hour of the day. Ruby Rose, no longer worry-stricken by the sight of her, no longer scared to touch her, happy and laughing.  
Silver eyes met blue suddenly, and Weiss hadn't realised how much she was blushing.

"You think we should just move the countryside and not tell anyone?" Ruby asked, taking a sip of her drink.

"Well, my lips would certainly be sealed, " Weiss said with a sigh, "I wish we could stay longer."

Ruby leant back, looking up at the sky, "Maybe we should take a few weeks off one the wedding's finished. Watching your sister get married is really tiring, y'know?"

"Oh yeah?" Weiss smiled, "Maybe that would be a good idea then."

Ruby grinned, raising an eyebrow, "Agreeing with me? Wow, what's this feeling?"

Weiss gave her a playful little shove, before picking up a cookie and waving it around in Ruby's face, "Shut up, dumbie. Will you ever stop joking about that?"

Ruby managed to grab the cookie with her mouth, taking a bite out of it before winking, "Nah, I like how annoyed you get."

Weiss smiled, but noticed Ruby's expression get serious, "Ruby?"

Silver eyes met blue, "How are you doing? Seriously?"

The ex-heiress edged closer to her. She took Ruby's face in her hands, smiling at her, "I'm good, Ruby. I swear."

Weiss touched her nose to the younger woman's, seeing the worry start to melt away from her face. She closed the distance, kissing her gently at first, but ended up deepening it. Ruby wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, still making sure to be careful despite Weiss reassuring her that she was okay.  
Hands tangled in dark hair, Weiss pressed her body against Ruby. She wanted to be held, she wanted to feel Ruby holding onto her tightly. Her girlfriend seemed to get the message, clinging onto her waist. Weiss broke the kiss, feeling Ruby's quickened breaths on her lips.  
She gave her one last, tender little kiss on the cheek, before parting the distance a little further so she would look at Ruby properly.

"As long as I have you, Ruby Rose, nothing else matters."


	7. Two hands hooked by the pinky.

Ruby was the first one to wake up for once, rolling onto her side. Weiss was still sound asleep, the gentle rising and falling of her chest was soothing to watch. The huntress put her arm around the sleeping girl, gently getting closer. She closed her eyes again, already knowing that she didn't want to move.  
Part of her just wanted to stay, in her groggy mindset, Weiss was the only person she wanted to tolerate. This bed, this moment, this was the only place she was meant to be. The dark-haired girl nestled her face into silky light hair, still gently enough as to not wake the older woman.  
She hadn't even bothered to check the time, usually when Weiss was still asleep they had time. But they'd fallen out of their regular sleep pattern. Ruby had been genuinely surprised the first day Weiss told her to stay in bed, thinking she'd want to get up early to explore outside the farm grounds.  
The last few days alone, minus Oscar of course, had been pure bliss. She was relieved. She'd been so worried about Weiss, seeing her snarky self come back properly, seeing her being able to laugh without being in pain. Weiss being happy and safe in her company, that's all she wanted. It was what the woman in her arms deserved.  
Ruby felt Weiss beginning to move a little, soon feeling a cold hand gently brushing against her. Moving back a little, she saw Weiss opening her eyes slowly, and her face formed a sleepy smile. The older woman reached to touch her face gently, fingers lightly tracing over her skin. Ruby smiled gently towards the girl next to her.  
Weiss blinked a few times, trying to wake herself up a bit, absent-mindedly moving her hand to Ruby's hair. The younger woman took hold of it gently, moving it towards her lips to kiss it.

"G'morning, snow angel." Ruby teased.

That earned a grumpy little pout, "Ew, don't call me that."

Ruby leant forward and kissed her forehead gently, "Whatever you say, ice queen."

Weiss grumbled again, but snuggled closer anyway, "I've just woken up and you're bullying me already?"

Silver eyes flashed with amusement and Ruby took hold of her properly again, "I'm not bullying you."

She could feel Weiss let out a little giggle, "Are too, dolt."

Ruby felt her kissing her chest softly, a light blush forming on her cheeks. The pair remained quiet for a little while, enjoying the peace. The younger woman had checked the time, and it was still early morning thankfully. Weiss had wrapped her arms around Ruby at some point, pressing their bodies together as gently as possible.   
The younger woman started trailing her hands through the length of Weiss' hair, earning soft little sighs every now and again as she relaxed more and more. If only they could spend the entire day like this. She could feel herself drifting again, and convinced that Weiss had fallen back asleep she allowed herself to do the same.  
It was a few hours later when the pair woke up again, Ruby being brought back to consciousness by the feeling of Weiss trying to wiggle out of her grasp. She opened her eyes as she loosened her grip, seeing the apologetic look on Weiss' face.

"I didn't mean to wake you up, love." She bent down to kiss Ruby gently, "We should think about making some moves soon though."

Ruby pushed herself up onto an elbow, leaning her head against her hand, "We could just hide here."

Weiss smiled, rolling her eyes, "Tempting, but you know we can't."

The dark-haired woman sat up properly, stretching her arms into the air, "Duty calls, huh?"

Weiss sighed, "Why do you sound so disappointed?"

Ruby glanced over at her, putting on her best puppy dog eyes, "I don't get to wake up next to you tomorrow."

The ex-heiress pulled a face of disgust, "I see you're not done being cheesy today."

Her partner fired a wink in her direction, "I'm just trying to get in as much cheddar as I can before we part ways."

Weiss let out an exasperated huff, blue eyes narrowing, "You realise that we're literally on the same farm. Me and Blake aren't even going to be that far away from you and Yang."

Ruby stuck out her bottom lip, "Every second away from you feels like a lifetime."

The older woman looked truly defeated, shaking her head, "You're impossible, Ruby Rose."

Weiss took hold of her cheek, squashing it little, "And stop it with the eyes. Do you want me to melt or something?"

Ruby frowned, taking hold of Weiss' hand and removing it from her face, "Stop squishing my cheeks when I'm trying to be nice."

The older woman's face flashed with amusement, folding her arms across her chest, "Never."

The younger woman pretended to be mad for a second, before letting her face melt away into a smile. She reached over, brushing Weiss' bangs from her face a little. Blue eyes softened, and she smiled softly over at Ruby. The pair closed the distance between them, kissing gently and pulling each other into a hug.  
It seemed silly, but they knew they'd miss each other, even if it was just for the night. Blake and Yang had decided that they wanted to keep with wedding tradition, spending the night before away from each other. Weiss and Ruby had agreed to keep them company, Weiss staying with Blake, and Ruby with her sister. While not regretting the decision, the last few days together, just the two of them made parting seem much more dramatic than it was.  
The two pushed away from each other, and Weiss was the first to stand up. Ruby admired her for a second, before standing up herself. Once they got ready, they decided to wait outside until the bees arrived. It was a beautiful day yet again, and sat down in the sun, chatting and soaking up the warmth.  
A few more of the wedding guests had arrived, and they'd already had a little reunion with Jaune, Ren and Nora. Sun and a few more of their friends were set to come as well, but had yet to turn up. Ruby knew that they'd probably show up earlier on the next day, so she wasn't too worried about the turn out just yet.  
When the bees' car arrived, Ruby shot up, offering her girlfriend her hand and pulling her to her feet.

"Weiss!" Yang launched herself at the shorter girl, lifting her into the air as she held onto her.

"AAH! Yang, put me down, you idiot! What are you doing?!" Weiss was laughing, playfully hitting her back.

"I know you told us you were fine and Ruby told us you were fine but I've been so worried about you I-" Yang was cut off by Weiss hugging her back tightly.

"Breathe! No need to make a fuss."

Blake twitched her ears in amusement, putting an arm around Ruby, "She's been talking really fast all day. You've got your work cut out for you tonight, Ruby."

Ruby put an arm around Blake in return, "I just hope I get some sleep."

The faunus bonked her head against Ruby's gently, "Hopefully she'll… burn… herself out. Eh?"

The younger woman rolled her eyes, "That was dumb, I appreciate the effort though."

Blake kissed the side of Ruby's forehead, before moving away from her with a smile, "I'm glad you two are okay."

Yang finally put Weiss down, and once she'd given Ruby a back-breaking hug too, they moved on to unpacking some of their things. Weiss had insisted that she and Ruby keep hold of the wedding dresses, wanting the other girls to be as surprised as possible when they saw each other.  
Weiss would be staying with Blake in the outbuilding that she and Ruby had spent the last few days, and Ruby would be with Yang in a different one. Team RWBY spent the day together, right up until it got dark. They'd reunited with JNOR, and had a big dinner in Oscar's farm house.  
Everything was set up for the wedding the next day, decorations were everywhere, and a huge tent had been set up in the closet field to the big farmhouse. A separate area had been set up for the ceremony itself, and it all looked beautiful. The likelihood was that the day would go off without a hitch.  
Ruby was getting more and more excited. She hadn't expected to, seeing as she still wasn't really the party type, but seeing all the happiness around her had had an effect. She couldn't wait to see her big sister and one of her best friend's getting married, she couldn't wait to dance with her girlfriend afterwards. It may have been hectic getting to this point, but Ruby knew it had all been worth it in the end.  
The time came for them to split off, and after one final group hug, they said their goodbyes until the next day. Ruby could sense instantly how nervous her sister was. It radiated off of her almost as much as the heat of her semblance. While she was smiling, the younger woman could see the worry in her eyes.   
Once they were sat watching something in the more unfamiliar outbuilding, Ruby decided to speak.

"Yang?"

"Mm?" The blonde turned her head.

"It'll be alright, y'know?" Ruby said, "You'll both be fine."

A smile formed on the older girl's lips, and she put an arm around her sister, "I-I know, it's just… big, you get me?"

Ruby leant her head on Yang's shoulder, "Still though, Blake loves you a lot, if that's what's playing on your mind."

The older girl sighed, laying her head back on the sofa, "I know she does. I just… I just wanna be enough for her, y'know? What if I don't keep making her happy?"

"I highly doubt that's something you can fail at. I mean your puns are shit, but she still thinks they're funny. You're meant to be."

"Language!" Yang playfully ruffled Ruby's hair, "My puns are great!"

"Oh yeah, you're really 'on fire' most of the time." The younger girl retorted.

"See, you've got it all wrong! It's all about the delivery! You gotta really believe in the pun for it to be funny." Yang pushed Ruby off of her.

Ruby smiled at her big sister, first out of amusement, then sincerely, "You've faced scarier battles before, Yang. This one'll be a piece of cake, trust me."

Yang smiled proudly at her sister, "I forget how smart you are sometimes."

The younger woman scoffed, "You still forget that? Man, must be the old age."

The blonde caught her sister in a headlock, messing up her hair, "Hey! I'm not even that much older than you!"

"Whatever you say, old person." Ruby replied, trying to break free of her big sister's grasp.

Yang let go of Ruby eventually, instead taking her in her arms to hug her much more gently than usual. Ruby reciprocated the hug, resting her chin on Yang's shoulder. They stayed silent for a little while, before the blonde moved away again, taking Ruby's hands. The dark haired girl didn't try to move away, smiling at her older sister.  
After a few more seconds of silence, Yang looked away.

"I'm glad I've got you with me tonight, sis."

Ruby felt a little pang of guilt for complaining earlier, but ultimately smiled, "I'm glad I'm here too, Yang."

The pair just sat watching stuff and talking for the rest of the night, and despite enjoying her sister's company, her mind continued to wander back to Weiss.  
She couldn't help still being a little bit worried about her girlfriend. The grimm attack had happened over a week ago now, but it had just made her realise how much she needed Weiss. The last few days had put her mind at ease because they'd spent all day every day together, but this was the first time that they'd been away from each other since the incident.  
Ruby knew that she was likely to stay awake for a long time that night, worrying about her. It seemed silly, considering she was so close by. It hadn't even been two hours since she'd walked off with Blake. Weiss was fine, and Ruby knew that. She'd have just felt so much better if she were here, in her arms.  
As her mind continued to fixate on her girlfriend, she got out her scroll and sent her a little 'I love you'. Hopefully that would put Ruby's mind at ease a little.

The scroll pinged, and Weiss looked down at it, seeing Ruby's face. She felt a little flurry of happy butterflies in her stomach before she replied, telling Ruby that she loved her too. She noticed Blake's ears pricking out of the corner of her eye, and looked over at her friend.  
The faunus gave her a knowing smile, and she couldn't help but blush slightly in embarrassment.

"Can I help you?"

Blake flattened her ears, smiling even more, "It's nice seeing you light up when Ruby's around."

Blue eyes narrowed, "S-So?! Surely you should be more interested in getting married tomorrow."

The faunus raised one of her ears and tilted her head, "Oh I am interested, trust me. I can just feel that something's on your mind."

Weiss blushed further, looking away from her. Blake could see that the woman next to her was nervous, pricking both her ears in alarm. She hadn't meant to make the ex-heiress worry, and reached out to place a hand on her arm. Weiss didn't move away, putting her scroll back on the couch beside her.  
It was a few seconds before blue eyes met yellow again.

"Weiss… what we talked about, are you still… are you gonna do it?"

Weiss gave her a nod, trying to mask her nerves with a more serious expression, "Yes."

Blake smiled at her, tilting her head, "Hey, it'll be alright, y'know?" 

The ex-heiress looked up at her, nerves creeping into her voice now, " I-I hope so."

That's when she realised the absurdity of this situation. Blake was a bride to be, it was Weiss who should be the one consoling her. Yet, the faunus had been calm all night, excited yes, but calm.   
Weiss had been the antsy one. It was a mixture of nerves about the wedding going well, mostly because she'd helped plan it. She wanted everything to go as planned, she knew that everything looked fabulous. In the back of her mind, she knew that there wouldn't be any problems, but it still ate away at her a little.  
Then there was the question of the other things she was thinking about. They were right at the front of her mind. One was to do with something at the after party of the wedding, and the other was Ruby. Mostly Ruby. She started blushing as the younger woman yet again pushed to the forefront of her mind, but welcomed the happy sensation.  
The butterflies soon set in again, however. No. This wasn't fair on Blake. She needed to calm herself down. She needed to be here for her friend right now. That's when she felt Blake taking her into her arms, and she went rigid for a second.

"Don't be such a worrywort, Weiss. It'll be okay. I promise."

Weiss put her arms around the faunus gently, "You think so?"

"I'd like to think I know so, and let's face it, when have you ever made the wrong decision?"

Weiss smiled at Blake's comment, "Countless times spring to mind, actually."

Blake moved away from Weiss, just enough to be able to touch foreheads with her, "Well, you certainly aren't wrong about this."

"I really hope you're right."

~☆~

The next day came quickly.  
Ruby had decided to curl her hair a little for the wedding, and was stood looking at herself in the mirror. She fiddled with the little necklace, making sure the little snowflake pendant sat as dead center on her chest as possible. The dress was unsurprisingly unchanged from the fitting, and she did her best to balance in the heeled shoes that she was wearing.   
Yang had been getting the bridal treatment, and had been whisked away to get changed into her dress and have her hair done. She was on her own, and hadn't received any messages off of Weiss. She knew that it would only be a tiny amount of time before she saw her again, but still she longed to see her.  
Closing her eyes, she tried to remember what Weiss' dress looked like. It was red, she could remember that, and it was the same style as Ruby's. She opened her eyes again, picking up her little clutch bag and the bridesmaid's bouquet. She was walking up the aisle first, being maid of honor, and she was a little bit nervous.  
She knew people wouldn't really be watching for her, and she took a little bit of solace in that. She'd done it right in the rehearsal, and she was confident that she would do it again. At least, she was mostly confident. Ruby sighed, standing up and walking out of the door. Most people were already sat down, but she saw Sun standing outside the tent, relieved to see him.  
As usually, he wasn't wearing a shirt, but was wearing a blazer and some suit pants. He smiled as soon as he noticed Ruby, his tail swishing around a little. He was acting as ring bearer, so he was walking up the aisle after Ruby.

"Wow Ruby, had anybody ever told you that blue is totally your colour?" He said, hugging her as she got closer.

"You're looking pretty sharp yourself, Sun." Ruby smiled, feeling a little bit better just being his presence.

"I can pull anything off, don't even have to try." He stated, standing proudly.

"Bet Weiss has had a go at you about not wearing a tie." She teased, stepping to stand next to him.

"Oh yeah, big time." Sun laughed a little, "I think she was just messing around though."

"She was really excited to see you." Ruby said, smiling a little.

The faunus flashed a grin, "Who wouldn't be?"

Ruby rolled her eyes, smiling even more, "You know, you've got a point."

The smile on the man's face grew more sincere, and he put an arm around her, "It's good to see you, Ruby."

She leant into him a bit, her nerves subsiding further just being in his presence, "I missed you."

It wasn't long before Yang appeared, her dress trailing behind her. That was the signal for Ruby to walk up the aisle, so once she had prepared herself, she began her journey. She noticed Blake first, who gave her little smile. Blake looked beautiful in her dress, her hair down around her shoulders. Ruby gave her a smile in return before concentrating on walking.  
Her prediction earlier had been right, everyone was trying to catch a glimpse at Yang before she walked down the aisle herself. Everyone was stood up, whispering and commenting on how good the music choice was. She carried on down the aisle, but suddenly started to get the feeling of eyes burning into her. She lifted her eyes from the floor as she walked.  
It was her. Weiss. Her hair up in a bun, her red dress fitting her beautiful and flowing just above her knees. Ruby could make out the rose earrings, matching with the necklace around her neck. She was wearing the same height heel as Ruby, so she still stood around her usual height. She looked absolutely beautiful.  
Her blue eyes were fixated in Ruby the whole time, and it felt like they were the only two people there in that moment. The smile on her face, the blush on her cheeks. If this weren't her big sister's wedding, she'd have petal blasted right over to her. Instead, she kept calm, and soon she was stood beside her.  
Weiss smiled happily up at her, giving her a quick kiss on the shoulder.

"Have I ever told you that you're the most beautiful girl in the world, Ruby Rose?"

Ruby giggled, whispering, "Oh Gods. Are you going to be like this all day?"

"You'll just have to wait and see."

The ceremony was a resounding success. Both brides had cried as soon as they'd seen each other, and Ruby had felt tears threatening to leave her own. When they finally got to kissing, there was a huge cheer, and everyone had stood smiling and clapping. Weiss had taken Ruby's hand at some point, she couldn't remember exactly when but was very happy that she had.  
Everyone was ushered into the venue for the party, the huge tent that had been set up with tables and chairs, a buffet and a dance floor with a microphone. Ruby sat, watching as Blake and Yang had the first dance, their happiness radiating and captivating everyone in the room. Weiss sat beside her, still holding her hand.  
Despite getting the impression that she'd fall victim to countless compliments for the entire night, her girlfriend had been fairly quiet. Ruby wasn't overly concerned though, because she could tell just how happy Weiss was. Happy, and relieved that the wedding she'd helped to arrange had gone according to plan.  
She glanced at the older woman, taking in her beauty. Weiss had always been beautiful, Ruby had thought so even when they first met. Everyone did. But getting to be the person who won her affections most out of everyone else they knew, it just made her heart swell. The woman holding her hand meant everything to Ruby, and she never wanted the feelings she felt looking at Weiss to go away.  
Blue eyes slowly made their way into Ruby's direction, and a little smile spread across the ex-heiress' face.

"Staring is rude, y'know." Weiss said, still holding Ruby's hand.

"My apologies." Ruby dipped her head playfully, "Will you ever forgive me?"

The older woman rolled her eyes, looking away again, "Hmm, I'm not certain that would be appropriate."

The younger woman stuck out her bottom lip, widening her eyes, "Really?"

A bigger smile crept onto Weiss face, and she gave Ruby a playful shove, "Stop being such a do-"

Yang's voice cut her off, and quietened everyone down, "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a little surprise that we've been keeping 'Schnee-cret' before the band comes on."

"Our friend Weiss is going to sing a song for us, " Blake reached out a hand towards her, "You ready?"

Ruby looked over at Weiss in shock. She'd already stood up and was making her way over to the microphone. How on earth had she kept this a secret? How long had this been a secret? The dark-haired girl watched as Weiss adjusted the height of the mic stand a fair bit, before looking out at everyone sat around on the tables.  
Her blue eyes settled back on Ruby for a second, before looking towards the back of the room. She said hello, and apologised, telling everyone that she hadn't sung in front of so many people for a while. It was true, she hadn't. Ruby watched her smile as everyone gave her an encouraging clap, and just as she opened her mouth, their eyes met again.  
  
"You saw through me, all this time, I'd forgotten that people were kind."

Weiss' voice made everyone fall into complete silence. The world around Ruby melted away, her mouth opening slightly as she watched the performance. The ex-heiress didn't seem to be singing for anyone else, she had her eyes fixed on Ruby.   
The dark-haired girl could feel her heartbeat increasing with each word Weiss sang. Her face was going red, and her breathing started to catch in her throat. She loved it when Weiss sang, but something about her performing like this, putting everything she had into hitting the notes and humming when necessary, just seemed to top everything.  
Ruby was smiling like an idiot and trying not to cry simultaneously. This had been a surprise for her, she could tell. She wasn't really sure what she'd done to deserve it, and tried to think about it. Her brain felt like it was melting. She could only think about the smile on Weiss' face as she sang, and the emotions flashing through her blue eyes.  
The song finished, and everyone but Ruby clapped. Weiss thanked everyone, hugging the newly weds before focussing her attention back on Ruby again. The ex-heiress walked over to her, snapping her out of her trance by offering her a hand.

"I need some fresh air, will you come with me?" Weiss asked, a blush on her own face.

"T-That… that was amazing." Ruby was finding it really hard to get words out.

Her girlfriend pulled her up onto her feet, and led her out of the tent, "I'll give you an autograph later, if you want."

Ruby nodding made her giggle, which just worsened the melting brain she was suffering with. The tent itself was actually open air, so the pair could still see what was going on as they left it's boundary. Everyone else had focussed back on celebrating, including the now married couple.  
Being away from it all actually helped Ruby regain brain function, and she started watching as people danced and laughed and ate and drank. Weiss did the same next to her, and the pair stood quietly for a few minutes. The younger woman was still struggling to get over seeing her girlfriend singing. Who could blame her really?  
It was Weiss who broke the silence.

"You liked your surprise, then?"

Ruby carried on watching the people in the party, "Remind me again what I did to deserve that?"

She heard Weiss chuckling beside her, "Am I not allowed to surprise the woman I love whenever I want?"

The blush on Ruby's cheeks grew heavier, "No, you need to warn me first. It was too good, and that's illegal."

She was confused when she didn't hear Weiss reacting. Ruby was only joking, surely she knew that. It was the best surprise she'd gotten ever. She turned her head to see Weiss was facing her, seeing a smile on her face. Good, she hadn't offended her. Ruby moved so they were facing each other, and noticed Weiss gripping onto each side of her dress hard.  
Blue eyes trailed slowly up to her silver ones, and she tilted her head in concern. Weiss' smile grew more sincere by the second, but Ruby started to feel worried by the weird silence.

"There isn't a day that goes by where I don't feel lucky to know you." Weiss started.

"E-Eh?" Ruby was practically combusting at this point.

"There isn't a single moment that I spend with you where I wish I was somewhere else."

Ruby couldn't speak, at this point she'd forgotten how.

"I know I can be abrasive sometimes, and we can annoy each other relentlessly, but I'm so happy… so proud to call you my best friend."

"W-W-" Ruby was on the verge of tears.

"You're kind, you're loving, and you're absolutely gorgeous. You're such a beautiful soul, Ruby. I will never stop loving you, never. I want to keep exploring every aspect about you, for the rest of my life."

Ruby could only watch as Weiss opened her little bag, pulling out a box.

"You mean the world to me. And I want to do absolutely everything I can to show you that."

Weiss got down on one knee, taking a deep breath before opening the little box. Inside was a pretty silver ring, sat comfortably inside a bed of red cushiony material. The ex-heiress looked up at her, tears forming in her eyes.

"Ruby Rose, will you marry me?"

Ruby fell to the floor in front of Weiss, tears streaming from her eyes. The girl in front of her couldn't hold back her own tears now, and they knelt across from each other crying. It was then the younger woman realised that she hadn't answered, and she desperately tried to wipe some tears from her face.

"Y-Yes. Gods, yes." She stammered, a shaky smile forming on her face.

Weiss let out a little laugh, actually sounding surprised. She jumped onto Ruby, kissing her passionately. They were both still crying, but that didn't matter. The pair broke apart after a few minutes, Weiss taking the time to wipe some tears from Ruby's face with her free hand.  
They parted more, still giggling and crying and about to burst with excitement. Weiss took the ring from the box, slipping it onto Ruby's right ring finger. Then they both sat looking at it for second in disbelief. Weiss had secretly measured Ruby's finger when she was asleep a while ago, and it fit perfectly.   
The older woman leant in to kiss her again tenderly, before fixing her eyes upon Ruby's. Ruby took her in her arms, whispering soft I love yous repeatedly, making her now fiance laugh and try to respond as quickly as she could. The younger woman just wanted to say those words over and over for eternity, showering Weiss in hundreds of tiny kisses, ending with the most tender on her left cheek, right where the scar split her otherwise soft skin.  
They stopped reluctantly when they heard Yang start making another one of her announcements, and slowly helped each other to their feet. They turned to face the tent again, listening to the rambling and watching Blake try to convince her wife that making an announcement every hour wasn't necessary.  
The pair locked pinky fingers, and Ruby lifted her now ring-bearing hand to her chest. Her heart was still beating rapidly, she still had tears in her eyes. She could not stop smiling. Weiss was in much the same state, except for the immense sense of relief she felt. She'd been nervous the entire day, she'd been planning this for a long time, even before she'd agreed to help with the bees' wedding.  
It was why she had been so upset when Ruby cut her off reading the wedding invitation envelope. It was why she'd been so worried about the hunt going wrong. All that she wanted to do was propose to her, and now that she'd done it it didn't quite seem real.   
Even so, a smile formed on her lips as she watched Blake and Yang, knowing for sure now that she and Ruby would be doing the same, one day at least. Weiss unlocked their pinky fingers to hold Ruby's hand properly, looking back over at her. She caught silver eyes staring at her, and she couldn't stop her blush from deepening.

"I love you, Weiss Schnee."

"And I love you, Ruby Rose."

END.


End file.
